Shame and guilt regulate the visibility of AI use: students engage in hiding behaviors and selective disclosure rather than open disclosure¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitativer3·q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? A subset of 8 of 19 participants described selective disclosure of AI use limited to specific social contexts, and students overwhelmingly reported concealing AI use from classmates and instructors. → Kate Hamilton 2026
Evidence¶
Kate Hamilton 2026¶
Kate Hamilton, Irene Hou, Dev Patel, Sheena Nnam, Hena Patel, and Stephen MacNeil. (2026). “Stuck in a Spiral”: Shame and Guilt as Social Regulators of AI Use in Computing Education. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.14920 doi:10.48550/arxiv.2606.14920
q2 · i? · qualitative · r3
Interview study of 19 computing students: in the results on hiding behaviors and selective disclosure, the article reports that "a subset of participants (8 of 19) described selective disclosure that was limited to specific social contexts," with concealment extending beyond trusted contexts.
"When asked about when they felt comfortable sharing their use of AI, a subset of participants (8 of 19) described selective disclosure that was limited to specific social contexts."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Shame and guilt coexist with continued AI use, creating self-reinforcing cycles of reliance, concealment, and self-critique rather than behavior change — a broader claim this one bears on
- Students spontaneously use language and metaphors of addiction to describe their AI use, framed as loss of control rather than enjoyment — related
- Students shame themselves, peers, and in one case a faculty member for using AI — related
- AI use threatens students' computing identities as competent, hardworking, and ethical, with students identifying as cheaters, lazy, or incompetent even where AI is permitted — related
- AI guilt correlates with avoidance and concealment behaviours, most strongly with limiting use due to uneasiness — related
- Students fear that declaring AI use will lead to lower marks even when permitted, creating a 'Disclosure Trap' that drives AI use underground — a broader claim this one bears on
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
shame-guilt-regulate-ai-use-visibility |
title |
Shame and guilt regulate the visibility of AI use: students engage in hiding behaviors and selective disclosure rather than open disclosure |
description |
Shame and guilt regulate the visibility of AI use: students engage in hiding behaviors and selective disclosure rather than open disclosure |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2026 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-11 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — kate-hamilton-2026 |
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